The Samarkand neighborhood is one of my favorites in Santa Barbara. I have owned several properties here, and currently live on Lomita Road at Samarkand Drive. Samarkand means “Land of Heart’s Desire” in the old Persian language, an apt description for this wonderful neighborhood. This is a truly lovely neighborhood of sweet cottages, Spanish-style homes, and custom homes built primarily in the 1940s and 1950s.

Natural Landscaping on Lomita Road

Most of Samarkand enjoys underground utilities, no street lights (makes for great star gazing!), and no wires in our mountain views. Our gently sloping streets feature sidewalks, and we are in close proximity to Trader Joe’s, Gelson’s Gourmet foods, shops, restaurants, lawn bowling and golf.

All homes are custom, with the first being a gorgeous 1924 Spanish-style residence at 3030 Samarkand Drive – 1/2 acre of land, and a home of about 4800 s.f. with a large guest apartment. This was built by Earle Ovington, an airmail pilot, who also created an airfield at the current location of our Santa Barbara Golf course. (He is responsible for our underground utilities!) There are about 425 homes in our neighborhood.

A lovely home I sold in Samarkand for $2,175,000

Samarkand is home to the current Samarkand Retirement Home at the southwest corner near Calle Real, and was previously a boys’ school, a hotel, and a hospital.

Samarkand is bordered by Las Positas Road and MacKenzie Park, De la Vina Street, Oak Park and Calle Real, and is a neighborhood of custom homes built in the 1920’s to the 1940’s.